#lymeproblems

After being bitten by the tick I scheduled an appt w/ my family doctor immediately and told him all of my flu-like symptoms🌡that corresponded with the bite. He told me Ohio isn’t endemic for Lyme but he would test me anyway to be sure. Little did I know that Lyme antibodies don’t show in the body until 6-8 weeks after a bite. It had only been a week. But I was the patient. It was my doctor’s responsibility to know this. So obviously my test ended up negative, and I was never treated. He was more concerned about overprescribing antibiotics than my health, but if he had just sent me home that day with a 2 week course of doxycycline 💊 none of the following health crises would have ensued.

It’s time for the obligatory Lyme post.

Lyme disease has become an incredibly common illness and a simultaneously controversial subject. Almost everyone that I have encountered has some sort of experience with Lyme disease. “Oh! My father [friend, cousin, uncle, cousin’s uncle, the girl at the coffee shop etc. etc. etc] had Lyme and it was really intense [not that bad, absolutely horrible, he/she is still sick etc. etc. etc.]” But there is a lot of confusing and misguided information going around about Lyme. The truth is very convoluted by perceptions and vested interests among doctors, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, the government and us, the patients and friends/family of patients.

I have what is called Chronic Lyme Disease, although the Center for Disease Control denies that Lyme disease can be a chronic illness. They do admit that some patients who receive 2-4 weeks of antibiotic treatment may still have persistent symptoms, but they call it Post Lyme Disease Syndrome (http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/postLDS/index.html). Whatever the CDC tells us, my case and countless other Lyme survivors’ experiences show that if an infected bite is not treated within a few months, the disease may persist indefinitely. Some people have symptoms off and on for their entire lives. 

Lyme disease is usually caused by a bite from an infected tick, but mosquitos, sand fleas, spiders and other insects can also carry Lyme. The disease is caused by spirochete bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Many people are bit by nymphs (immature ticks) and never notice because the nymphs are so small and the bite is painless. 85% of people do not recall a tick bite and less than 70% develop a rash. Ticks can stay attached for many days without recognition and the longer they remain attached, the higher the risk of disease contraction. Once a person is infected, the Lyme bacteria travel through the bloodstream and then burrow into tissues. This can cause muscle tightness and deterioration of bodily tissues. It also explains why blood tests are so inaccurate since the bacteria can hide in tissues, as well as behind a biofilm that they create where they can evade even the strongest antibiotics. Lyme does not travel alone. Ticks infected with Lyme may also carry Babesiosis, Ehrlichia and/or Bartonella as well as many other pathogens.

Here is a good overview of Lyme for more info:

http://lymedisease.org/lyme101/lyme_disease/lyme_disease.html 

The first case was discovered in Old Lyme, Connecticut (hence the name) so there are many documented cases of Lyme and Chronic Lyme along the East coast of the US. Whether the number of cases represents an increased level of disease contraction or and increased level of awareness, I am not sure. But Lyme is now found all over the United States.

http://lymedisease.org/lyme101/lyme_disease/lyme_map.html

Even the great state of California is covered with Lyme infected ticks.

http://www.lymedisease.org/california/california_map.html

Lyme disease is known as the great imitator because it mimics many other diseases and some illnesses are really just symptoms of Lyme. Doctors often misdiagnose what is really Lyme disease as Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, ADHD, Depression and more. Some doctors and scientists believe that even Alzheimer’s is related to Lyme. Of course, these facts are disputed among experts and scientists.

Here is a comprehensive list of symptoms:

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/images/NewDirectory/Resources/Lyme_Signs_Symptoms_FINAL%5B1%5D.pdf 

Diagnosis can be really hard because doctors often diagnose symptoms such as chronic fatigue instead of identifying Lyme is the root problem. Blood tests are shockingly inaccurate so that does not help the situation. The standard ELISA test used by most MD's is only accurate 50% of the time. You might as well flip a coin. The Western Blot is a better option but still not perfect. The best test to get is IGENIX. Lyme bugs move through tissues, not through blood, often causing muscle tension and pain as well as making the blood tests comically unhelpful. The best Lyme doctors treat based on symptoms, not test results. 

In the meantime... chew on this! The most delicious cookies you will ever eat that are actually really healthy and nourishing!!! :)

Recipe: (makes about 12 cookies. I always double it and freeze some)

Dry Ingredients: 

2 cups blanched almond flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Wet Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegan shortening or butter

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or try carob chips)

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon the cookies onto the pan (feel free to be creative with decorations!) Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. 

Voilá! A deliciously sweet snack for your afternoon blood sugar needs. 

Step 1 – Pretending you are OK. Example(s): “I’m exhausted but its just because I have only had one cup of coffee today.” “I get headaches in the afternoon; its fine I’ll just take some Advil.” “My hands are always cold and numb, it’s totally normal.”  (It’s not normal. Stop lying to yourself. This step can go on for years if you let it. So don’t.) 

Step 2 – Freaking the fuck out. Example: “I am sick! I have Lyme disease. I am going to go blind, become paralyzed and die!” (This stage is often mistaken for anger at the rest of the world for being healthy)

  Step 3 – Depression. Example: “I am so sick.” *sad face* *cries a river* (this is a crucial step to healing from sickness is giving yourself time to be sad about it, but don’t let it last too long and don’t expect others to feel sorry for you)

  Step 4 – Acceptance. Example “I am really sick and it is time to change that.” (This step does not necessarily lead to effective action, but it is the seedling for deep healing. It is the end of feeling sorry for yourself.)

  Step 5 – Taking Responsibility.

This step is by far the most important thought/emotion to experience if a person is to heal. The most valuable lesson that I learned through all of my struggles is that no doctor can heal you. No doctor ever will. I searched and I searched for that amazing and powerful doctor, or acupuncturist, or healer who would “fix me.” (I asked for Dr. House for christmas every year...) I wanted someone to figure out what was wrong and make me better. I so badly wanted to surrender. To curl up into a ball and give myself in to some higher power to either fix me or let me die in peace. I know now, that no other person will ever be able to do that. Doctors and the rest are there only to help. They may guide my body towards healing, offering tools for restoring balance to the ecosystem that is my being, but they are not the ones to do the healing. I am. Only I hold the power to heal my body. It is up to me to listen to my body, feel when something is not working, feel what I need and channel the life force energy within me to heal holistically. Only once I took responsibility for my own healing process was I able to get the help that I always needed from doctors and other healers. I know what I need, and I am doing everything in my power to receive it.

  Step 6: Action. “Let the healing begin.” (Develop a solid plan and stick to it to the best of your ability. But always, ALWAYS follow your intuition above all else.)